Moving to Idaho
New residents have 30 days to get an Idaho driver license and must register a car within 30 days. Prices are 4.5% below the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $4,192 in Idaho income tax. 35,831 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from California and Washington.
New resident checklist for Idaho
Driver license
Within 30 days of moving to Idaho; knowledge test and vision screening required; skills test may be waived with a valid out-of-state license of the same class. Students and active-duty military are exempt. Before your appointment, use the Idaho motor vehicle agency's document checklist for the license type you choose. Standard and REAL ID requirements can differ, including accepted identity and address documents, name-change records and Social Security documentation or permitted alternatives.
Vehicle title and registration
Title and register within 30 days of moving to Idaho. Bring the vehicle to the county DMV office, which inspects its VIN. Idaho no longer requires emissions testing: the Ada County and Canyon County programs ended in July 2023. Switch your auto insurance to an Idaho policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: Expect the normal Idaho title and registration fees. Ask your county assessor's motor vehicle office whether Idaho use tax applies to a vehicle you owned before moving.
Annual registration: By vehicle age: $69 (1-2 years old), $57 (3-6 years), $45 (7+ years), plus county fees.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $140.
Establishing residency
Residency begins when your principal home has been in Idaho for 90 continuous days, though you may declare it earlier. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Idaho
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Tell payroll where you live and physically work, and review withholding for every state that may tax your pay, including Idaho. Keeping a job in another state, commuting, remote-work sourcing rules or income earned before the move can leave an old-state obligation. A new address alone does not mean all old-state withholding should stop. See moving-year tax guidance and your states' official instructions.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,151 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: itd.idaho.gov. Sources: itd.idaho.gov (2), itd.idaho.gov (3), itd.idaho.gov (4), govinfo.gov. Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Idaho motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Idaho
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Idaho.
Equal salary in ID: $81,500
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,500 in Idaho to match $100,000 in California ($18,500 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
The renter figure uses ACS gross rent, which includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels. The buyer figure adds electricity separately to mortgage, property tax and insurance. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. These are selected-cost changes, not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $100,000 | California | Idaho |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $13,170 | $13,170 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $7,650 | $7,650 |
| State income tax | $4,911 | $4,192 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $1,300 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $72,969 | $74,988 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Idaho: California to Idaho, Washington to Idaho, Oregon to Idaho, Utah to Idaho, Arizona to Idaho and Texas to Idaho.
Living in Idaho: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Idaho is in the best 10 for property tax rate, car insurance, electric bills, health premiums, modeled natural hazard county-score means and homeowners insurance, and not in the worst 10 on any.
- Median rent
- $1,384/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $2,689/mo U.S. $2,354
- Take-home on $100,000
- $74,988 $90 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.43% median $1,912/yr
- County-score mean
- 65.7 of 100 High county-score mean
- Moved in from other states
- 35,831 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Idaho
How Idaho ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Idaho ranks best
- Top 5 Lowest property tax rate: 0.43% of home value a year, tied with 1 other state for 3rd lowest.
- Top 5 Lowest car insurance costs: $864 a year per car on average (NAIC 2023), 3rd lowest of 51.
- Top 5 Lowest electric bills: $110 a month on average (EIA 2025), 4th lowest of 51.
- Top 10 Lowest Marketplace health premiums: $490 a month for a benchmark plan at age 40, before subsidies (KFF 2026), 6th lowest of 51.
- Top 10 Lowest modeled county-score means: Population-weighted mean of FEMA county risk scores: 65.7 of 100, 8th lowest of 51.
- Top 10 Lowest homeowners insurance: $1,151 a year at the median for homes with a mortgage (Census ACS 2024), 10th lowest of 51.
Where Idaho ranks worst
Idaho is not in the worst 10 on any of these measures. Its weakest is cost to own a home, 17th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, modeled natural hazard county-score means, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Idaho residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 35,831 households filed their taxes in Idaho after filing in another state the year before. California sent the most, 7,907 households (22% of the total). Idaho gained a net 5,811 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Idaho from other states peaked in 2020–21 at 42,047 households, then fell 15% to 35,831 in 2022–23, up 7% from 2018–19. Idaho gained households from other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 +10,188, 2019–20 +15,300, 2020–21 +14,081, 2021–22 +8,492, 2022–23 +5,811.
Cost of living in Idaho vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Idaho are 4.5% below the U.S. average, 23rd cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in utilities (70.4), 30% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $110/mo U.S. $151
- Car insurance, per car
- $864/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $490/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2025 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Idaho: take-home pay at three incomes
Idaho taxes wages. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | ID income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,542 | $40,813 | +$35 |
| $100,000 | $4,192 | $74,988 | -$90 |
| $150,000 | $6,842 | $106,949 | -$637 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Idaho income taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 6% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $1,912 a year in property tax, 0.43% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Idaho taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Idaho: where a paycheck goes furthest
The Boise metro area is the only one of the 149 U.S. metro areas we cover that is centered in Idaho. About $77,900 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | $77,900 | 98.4 | $1,628 | $484,000 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Idaho
| Measure | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,384 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $446,400 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,689 | $2,354 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $115,244 | $100,903 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $1,912 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,151 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (7.24%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Idaho for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Idaho
RelocateMath's population-weighted mean of FEMA county risk scores for Idaho is 65.7 of 100 (high county-score mean), ranked 8 of 51 from lowest to highest mean. This is not an official FEMA state rating or a national state percentile, and it does not predict whether a particular home is safe. Modeled expected losses from natural hazards average about $418 per resident a year, and no residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks county-score scale midpoint (50).
See disaster risk for every Idaho county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Idaho come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 35,831 households moved to Idaho from other states. The most came from California (7,907 households), Washington (6,151) and Oregon (3,156).
What are the pros and cons of living in Idaho?
Where Idaho ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest property tax rate, tied with 1 other state for 3rd lowest; lowest car insurance costs, 3rd lowest of 51; lowest electric bills, 4th lowest of 51; lowest Marketplace health premiums, 6th lowest of 51; lowest modeled county-score means, 8th lowest of 51; lowest homeowners insurance, 10th lowest of 51. It is not in the worst 10 on any of them; its weakest is cost to own a home, 17th highest of 51.
Is Idaho expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Idaho are 4.5% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 95.5, 2024), 23rd cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,384 a month and the median home is worth $446,400.
How long do I have to get an Idaho driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Within 30 days of moving to Idaho; knowledge test and vision screening required; skills test may be waived with a valid out-of-state license of the same class. Students and active-duty military are exempt.
How long do I have to register my car in Idaho?
30 days. Title and register within 30 days of moving to Idaho. Bring the vehicle to the county DMV office, which inspects its VIN. Idaho no longer requires emissions testing: the Ada County and Canyon County programs ended in July 2023.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Idaho?
Expect the normal Idaho title and registration fees. Ask your county assessor's motor vehicle office whether Idaho use tax applies to a vehicle you owned before moving.
What makes me an Idaho resident?
Residency begins when your principal home has been in Idaho for 90 continuous days, though you may declare it earlier.